How To Get A Job – Advice for High School Graduates

Greetings Leaders,

This blog…. is not for you. It’s for your kids, brothers or sisters, nieces or nephews who are out of high school and without a job. I was prompted to write this because I know of several acquaintances who are in this situation, including my 18 year daughter Michele.

It seems like in today’s fast past world, many young men and women in their late teens are not prepared to hunt for a job in a very tight job market. Here is some advice to help them on their way.

1. Don’t believe everything you read and hear. There was once a man who owned a thriving hot dog stand in New York. Times were tough, the economy was down, but his hot dog stand was doing great. His highly educated son came home to visit, and he told his father that times were bad, and that he should consider using cheaper ingredients in his hot dogs to save some money. His father listened to his highly educated son, and business started to drop off. The father thought it was because of the bad economy, so he asked his son for more advice. The son told him to use cheaper condiments to save even more money. His father followed the advice, and business got worse. His son then told him that he should close the stand before he had no customers left, and the father followed his advice. During the last week as the owner, the father decided to treat his remaining customers to the best hot dogs he could make. By the end of the week, business was so good, that the father decided to remain open… and he did a thriving business. He realized it was the poor ingredients and not the poor economy that drove his customers away. Don’t believe everything you here. Graduates – there are jobs out there. One with your name on it, you just have to go and find it.
2. Trying does not equate to filling out one online application a day. That’s called taking advantage of a free lunch (aka mom and dad). Graduates – welcome to the world. He who works hard, will be rewarded. I will make you a bet – e-mail me if you really want to take this on. I guarantee, that if you put out enough applications, you will get a job. I will also guarantee, that if you put out three applications over the summer, that you won’t get a job. Getting a job is a numbers game. If you roll the dice enough times, sooner or later lucky seven will come up. If you are serious about getting a job, sit down for about an hour at the computer. Search for any and all stores, fast food joints, restaurants, recreation centers, tutoring centers, doctors offices, dentist offices, warehouses, moving companies…. you get the idea. Pick some places that sound interesting, and then start calling them… one by one.
3. Prepare yourself – If you put out enough applications, you will get invited to an interview. My daughter was pleasantly surprised when a retail establishment called her in for an interview yesterday. She was nervous, but asked a friend in retail to help her prepare. She got good advice. She went out to the company’s website and looked for things they might ask her about. She actually found a statement on diversity on the website…. and guess what one of her questions was? Yup – what did she think about diversity in the work place? Be prepared.
4. Dress appropriately – Ok leaders, you may disagree with me on this one, but graduates, I am going to say that formal dress is  not always the best outfit to wear to every interview. Times have changed. Wear what is appropriate, but if in doubt…. dress upwards… not downwards. You could also call someone at the office where you are applying and ask them how they like their applicants to dress.

My last piece of advice….. never ever give up. There is a job out there with your name on it, you just have to go find it.

All the best,
All the time,
JT